The government has announced new measures that will require every household to make a Ksh500 contribution to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) for universal health coverage.
According to Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani the amount will cover outpatient and inpatient services, including maternity, dialysis, cancer treatment and surgery.
“Government focus is on the establishment of a mandatory UHC scheme to be managed by NHIF and regulated by the Ministry of Health and act as the national scheme for all persons resident in Kenya, notwithstanding one’s social status,” he said in a Budget Policy Statement for the fiscal year 2012/2022.
The government will first focus on the provision of health insurance cover to initially one million households who are vulnerable and unable to meet even that low-cost premium.
Read: How To Check your NSSF, NHIF Statements Via SMS
“The identification of these one million households by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the counties across the entire country has already begun,” Mr Yatani said.
The collection of the beneficiaries’ data has already begun, with proposed law on the management of the UHC scheme set to be tabled in Parliament soon.
The government aims to have the UHC rolled out countrywide by 2022, with four counties – Machakos, Nyeri, Isiolo and Kisumu – having piloted the scheme.
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